Islanders rally past Leafs

Taking a shot

TORONTO — Matt Moulson and Michael Grabner had two goals each as the New York Islanders rallied for a 7-4 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night.

Moulson had one of three third-period goals for the Islanders (2-1), who overcame a 3-1 first-period deficit to earn the win before an Air Canada Centre gathering of 19,125. Grabner, with two, and Keith Aucoin also scored in the third for New York.

Toronto (2-2) fell to 0-2 on home ice this season and returned to the ACC following a solid 5-2 road victory in Pittsburgh on Wednesday night. But that didn’t impress some Leafs fans, who began to chant “Let’s go Blue Jays” with 2:40 remaining.

Grabner gave New York a 4-3 lead at 3:27 of the third, firing a wicked wrist shot past Ben Scrivens for his second of the season before Aucoin scored his first just 1:08 later to put the Islanders ahead 5-3. That was it for Scrivens, who allowed five goals on 20 shots in his third start of the season.

Scrivens was replaced by James Reimer, who got the win in Pittsburgh. But Reimer was beaten cleanly by Moulson’s wrist shot at 11:20 for his second of the season.

The Islanders were playing for the first time since beating Tampa Bay 4-3 on Monday and opened a five-game, eight-day road trip against Toronto.

Matt Frattin’s goal at 17:47 made it 6-4 and gave the Leafs’ forward three points after being recalled from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies earlier Thursday. Grabner added a short-handed empty-net goal at 18:50.

Mark Streit and former Leaf Brad Boyes had the other goals for the Islanders.

Toronto controlled the first, outscoring the Islanders 3-1 and outshooting them 16-9. Gunnarsson’s shot from the point at 2:12 beat Evgeni Nabakov, who has started all of New York’s games this season. Gunnarsson’s first goal of the year was also the first by a Leafs defenceman.

Moulson tied it at 8:39, putting a loose puck past Scrivens after the Toronto goalie stopped Moulson’s shot off the faceoff. But the Leafs couldn’t clear the loose puck, allowing Moulson to register his first of the season.

Kadri put Toronto ahead 2-1 at 9:44 when John-Michael Liles blasted a shot wide of Nabakov but the puck bounced off the boards right back to Kadri, who scored his third of the season. Grabovski then beat Nabakov on a wrist shot at 12:48 for his second of the year.

But New York tied the game in the second with goals 1:26 apart. Streit scored on the power play at 11:44, his first of the year, before Boyes deflected Frans Nielsen’s sharp-angled shot past Scrivens for his first at 13:10. Boos could be heard as Toronto left the ice to end the frame.

NOTES — Frattin had eight goals and seven assists in 58 games with Toronto last season . . . The Leafs were 3-1-0 versus the Islanders last season, 1-1-0 at the Air Canada Centre . . . Toronto completed its first back-to-back of the shortened season with Thursday night’s game. The Islanders are in Boston on Friday night for the first of their seven back-to-back sets this year. The Leafs face the Rangers in New York on Saturday . . . Moulson appeared in his 248th straight game and has yet to miss a contest in his New York career. Only Billy Harris (576 games), Bob Nystrom (301) and Denis Potvin (262) have played in more consecutive contests in club history.